Ice T – Cold Wind Madness b/w The Coldest Rap

Saturn Records (US) [SAT-1002] 1983

East Coast born and West Coast raised, Tracy Marrow aka Ice T is one of the West Coast hip hop legends.

After school he served in the US military and had plans on pursuing a career as a DJ and club promoter but despite his attempts to stay on the straight and narrow he found himself involved with the LA gangs and a life of crime.

WHAT HAPPENED, HOW I STARTED MAKING RECORDS I WAS SAYING RHYMES TO THESE GIRLS AT A BEAUTY PARLOR, I WAS AT A BEAUTY PARLOR RIGHT GETTING MY HAIR DONE, GETTING MY FLY WHIPPED UP AND I’M SAYING THESE RHYMES AND THESE GUYS WALKED IN AND THEY SAID WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE A RECORD? I’M LIKE WHO ARE YOU? THEY’RE LIKE WE HAVE A RECORDING STUDIO WE CAN MAKE A RECORD, SO IT WAS KIND OF LIKE RUN DMC YOU KNOW THE CHAUFFER DROVE OFF AND HE NEVER CAME BACK. THEY THREW ME IN A CAR, THEY TOOK ME TO A STUDIO, LITTLE DID I KNOW THEY HAD A TRACK THAT WAS MADE BY JIMMY JAM AND TERRY LEWIS WITH SOME GIRLS SINGING ON IT. THEY ERASED THE GIRLS AND THEY PUT ME ON THE TRACK. THAT WAS MY FIRST RECORD WAS CALLED COLD WIND MADNESS. THAT CAME OUT IN 1982. THAT RECORD UH GOT ME KNOWN TO A RAP CLUB IN L.A. THAT WAS CALLED THE RADIO. [Ice T – West Coast Pioneers]

This was the debut release by West Coast hip hop legend Ice T and features the early musical talents of Daniel Sofer and The Time which included Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. It was originally pressed as an acetate called Congo Rap b/w Too Cold.

The Track “Congo Rap” is a kind of early Version of “Cold Wind Madness”, but pure Old School Rap style! Just some spacy sounds, a slappin’ snare ….. and the “Cold Wind Madness” Rhymes, but definitely a different Rap Recording ! Absolutely mind blowing !

Only one copy of this Acetate exist which makes it even more interesting, I would say that this is the first professional recording of Ice T which have been put on Vinyl (Metal), definitely a heavy piece of West Coast Hip Hop History, this one belong to a Museum !!!!! By the way, on the B-Side you find the Vocal + Instrumental Versions of a track called “Too Cold”, indeed this is “Cold Wind Madness/The Coldest Rap”. Later it came out on the amazing “Saturn Records” Label ! More or less these are the same Versions as on the the official Release, slightly different ! [Fab]

There are a few label variations for this release which are pictured below. “Cold Wind Madness” was actually an instrumental and appeared as the A side on the first pressings. Also, the first pressing on Saturn didn’t say “Special thanks to The Time”. Second pressings had the sides reversed and also added Parts 1 & 2 of each track.

1986 saw a reissue on Housejam Records/JDC which was also repressed again in the 2000’s. Represses are easy to spot as both sides say Housejam Records. The original version says Housejam on side A and Housejam Records on side B.

Ice T went on to appear in the movies Breakin’and Breakin’ 2and also the lesser known Breaking And Entering as part of the Radio Crew alongside Egyptian Lover, Super AJ and Chris “The Glove” Taylor.